GRE welcomes new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow Angela Harrison March 10, 2021 In the recent round of applications for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships, the School had a 100% success rate! Over the coming months, three scientists from across the globe will commence their new research projects. One of those Fellows, Angela Harrison, from Melbourne, Australia, will join Professor Angus Lamond’s team. Professor Inke Nathke, Interim Dean of School said, “Supporting the next generation of scientists is one of the most important things we do and I am delighted to welcome these accomplished researchers into our School.” A total of €328 million was awarded from the scheme to fund 1,630 excellent post-doctoral researchers working at universities, research organisations and companies across Europe and beyond. Grant Davidson, from Research and Innovation Services explained “In total 11,573 proposals were submitted to the 2020 call. As in previous years, the UK was the most successful country, with 311 projects awarded to UK-based organisations. The UK success rate (15.4%) was higher than the overall success rate for the call (14.3%). Dundee’s success rate was 37.5%.” The School has welcomed 17 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellows since 2014 and we look forward to welcoming more in the coming years as we remain eligible for the scheme run by Horizon Europe. Angela Harrison Profile Angela Harrison Meet Angela and read about why they chose Dundee, their experience of applying for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship and what they will be researching. Why did you apply for the scheme? “My research so far has examined novel immune evasion and nuclear trafficking mechanisms used by proteins of important RNA viruses, including SARS-COV-2, Ebola virus and rabies virus. I was really interested in the proteomics technologies developed by Prof. Lamond and his team, and thought that applying these techniques to examine virus infection and virus-host interactions would be really exciting. The MSCA scheme was therefore an ideal fellowship to enable me to come to Dundee and learn from Prof. Lamond and his team. This will greatly expand my skillset and knowledge base, and help me to develop into an independent, multidisciplinary researcher.” Where are you coming from? “Melbourne, Australia. I completed my PhD last year in the lab of Dr Gregory Moseley in the Department of Microbiology at Monash University, and am currently working for Dr Kylie Wagstaff in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Monash University.” Why did you pick Dundee/Life Sciences? “I wanted to work with Prof. Lamond because he is an international leader in the field of cellular proteomics with proven expertise in applying innovative proteomic technologies to address important biological questions. The School of Life Sciences also has state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that will enable the success of the project. More generally, I was really excited by the opportunity to come to Dundee/Scotland and explore such a beautiful part of the world. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Scotland and the Scottish people (although I will have to invest is some warmer clothes..).” What was your experience of the application process? “The resources and assistance provided by the University of Dundee made the application process very straightforward. I also really appreciated the feedback given by Prof. Lamond and Grant Davidson on my proposal drafts.” What is your research project? “My research project will examine Nipah virus, a highly lethal virus for which there are no approved treatments or vaccines despite outbreaks occurring almost annually in Asia. I will focus on two highly multifunctional proteins of Nipah virus, V and M proteins, that have many critical roles in infection, including in immune evasion and virus assembly. Using the cutting-edge proteomics strategies developed by the Lamond lab, I will systematically analyse the molecular composition of distinct protein complexes formed and altered by these viral proteins to understand how Nipah virus exploits and remodels the intracellular host environment to benefit infection. This has the potential to provide unparalleled insight into Nipah virus infection, which will be of significant value for identifying possible targets for drug/vaccine development. The project will also establish these highly advanced proteomics approaches as valuable tools to study other important viruses of global concern.”
